Masterpiece communications

Tag Archives: storytelling with technology

Welcome to Brilliance@Work, a series of profiles about stellar collaboration professionals and their best practices at work.

Chuck Gose

Chuck Gose is the founder and host of ICology, an Internal Communications-themed podcast. He’s also corporate communication practice leader for BroadSign.

Chuck is an active voice on LinkedIn, writing posts about internal communication, employee engagement and social media. He’s an advocate for technology and its aggressive, but smart, use in internal communication.

Chuck is also a self-proclaimed Skyline chili connoisseur and Duran Duran fan with 15 years of international experience in marketing, corporate communication and sales. Chuck has held internal communications roles with companies like Rolls-Royce and GM.

In the meantime, read on to learn more about Chuck and his insights on technology’s role in internal communications.

Peggy L. Bieniek, ABC: What are you most interested in and speak most enthusiastically about? Chuck Gose: I have been fascinated by internal communications for the better part of 15 years. And I’ve seen the amount of thought and attention given to it continue to increase. That being said, there’s a lot of the “same old same old” being spread around. I challenge myself to come up with new angles and topics that get communicators and business leaders to think about internal comms in new ways.

PB: What are some of your past and current projects that you are most proud of? CG: In late summer 2015, I launched ICology, a podcast that’s focused on interesting people doing interesting things in the world of internal communications. There didn’t seem to be an IC “voice” in the podcast world, so I filled that gap. And since then, it’s been nothing but fun. I’ve interviewed practitioners and consultants. We’ve talked about channels and technology, including some challenges and failures. And we’ve talked about what communicators need to do to become better business people.

PB: How can organizations use technology to tell their stories effectively? CG: Technology can be both a barrier and an ally for storytelling. By barrier I mean that there are specific access points required. An employee needs a smart phone if a story is on a mobile app. If the story is a video, they need access to a computer to watch it. Those are rudimentary examples, but technology isn’t without hiccups.

But when used appropriately, technology can make storytelling even more amazing. And this is where communicators can and should be more creative with storytelling. Each technology has its own strengths and weaknesses. Make sure your stories play to the technology’s strength.

PB: As conference chairperson, what would you say makes this event unique? CG: Compared to other events I attend, I love the intimacy of the ALI events. You’re in the same room with the same people for multiple days. And since you’re not bouncing around from track to track, you spend time with and get to know the people you’ve been sitting around and trading stories with.

PB: What is most important for people to understand from your conference presentation? CG: Technology is available for everyone, BUT that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. Each technology can make a big impression in the employee experience, but only if it’s supported and cared for. I like to see communicators play in technology first. Because it’s out of this playtime that we’ll discover fun and practical uses for new technology.

PB: What is your contact information for questions, comments, ideas? CG: I try to be everywhere and accessible. The best channels to reach me are LinkedIn and Twitter at @chuckgose.

Registerfor the Strategic Internal Branding Conference. Together we’ll learn about using authentic internal branding communications to create brand champions, build culture and engage employees to live and deliver on the brand promise.

Since I’m a conference supporter, just mention Starry Blue Brilliance when you register to receive a $200 discount. 🙂

Please share this information with your networks. The Twitter hashtag is #ALI_IntBranding.